Electric system



Oct. 25, 1938. J. L. c

REVELING ELECTRIC SYSTEM Filed March 12. 1935 a w g INVENTOR:

Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC SYSTEM Application March 12, 1935, serial No. 10,646

2 Claims. (or 111-314) My invention pertains to that class of electric systems wherein a dynamo or other controllable source of potential difference is to be regulated automatically throughout tendencies to vary..

Asa dynamo driven at variable speed and employed to charge a storage battery and operate lamps or other translating devices is a widely used type of system to which my invention is particularly applicable, it will be described with respect to such a system.

An object of my invention is to provide means whereby the source of potential difference may be regulated automatically within relatively very narrow limits throughout wide range of tendency to vary.

Another object is to provide means whereby the source may be connected automatically with the circuit to be supplied whenever able to supply the same and disconnected therefrom whenever unable to perform this function.

Another object is to provide means for connecting the source with a load, including a variable counter-electromotive force, at such times as the source has the instant voltage of said counter-electromotive force, and to cause disconnection at substantially such time as the voltage of the source and the counter-electromotive force are practically equal. 1

Another object is to provide simple, reliable and rugged means for attaining the above objects.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing, Fig. I is a diagrammatic repre-' sentation of one type of system comprehending my invention, the source of current and its load being disconnected.

Fig. II is a similar representation of a system' wherein the source is indicated as supplying the load and requiring the maximum degree of regulation to be required.

Figs. III, IV, V, VI and VII, are diagrams showing modification that may be made in the embodiments of my invention.

In the drawing, referring particularly to Fig. I,

| represents a dynamo or generator having one 8, insulated from 8 and 1, and connected by wire 9 with the remaining brush of the dynamo.

The dynamo I is shown as provided with a plurality of field windings III, II and I2. The winding III has one terminal connected with the wire 2 and its other terminal connected with one end of a regulating device, in this instance indicated as a carbon pile I3, having its opposite end in electrical connection with the wire 9, as by wire l9. The winding l2 has one terminal connected with the wire 9, and its opposite terminal connected with a regulating device (indicated as a carbon pile ll), having its remaining terminal connected with the wire 2, as by wire 20. The winding H is shown as connected across the ends of windings Ill and I2, between the coils and piles I3 and I. A spring l5, acting upon the yoke l6, insulated from the piles as shown, tends to compress the piles and lower their resistance; while the core |1, when attracted by the coil l8 across wires 2 and 3, tends to increase the resistance of the piles.

The previously mentioned core 1 is of iron or other magnetic material and is provided with a pole piece 2|, a yoke 22 and armature 23, pivoted as at 2|, and which may be counter-balanced to any degree desired, as by counter-weight 25. Attraction between pole piece 2| and armature 23 tends to raise the free end of the armature and bring the contact member 26 into contact with a similar member 21, provided with a stem which is indicated as pressed downwardly by an adjustable spring 28. The downward travel of 21 is limited by the nut 29, while its upward travel against the eifort of spring 28 is limited by nut 30.

The yoke 22 carries an extension 3|, provided with a. pole piece 32, which may be adjustablysecured thereto as by screws 35 passing through slots (not shown) in 32 and permitting the same to be raised or lowered and held in position, in a well known manner. 3| and 32 are of magnetic material, and 3| is shown as provided with a screw 33, limiting the downward movement of armature 23, and this screw is, of course, of nonmagnetic material. The core 1 is provided with a voltage winding 34 across the wires 2 and 9 through an adjustable resistance 39. The extension 3| is provided with a voltage winding 35 across wires 2 and 9 through a suitable adjusting resistance 36, if desired. 3| is also provided with a voltage winding 31, indicated as having one end connected with the said member 3| and the opposite end with wire 9 through an adjusting resistance 33,1f desired. As one end of coil 6 is connected with the core 1, coil 31 is therefore, in etfect, across the break between contact members 26 and 21, it being noted that in this figure the switch is open and the dynamo and battery disconnected.

In Fig. II, substantially the same instrumentalities are shown as in Fig. I, though in a diiierent phase of operation, the only structural difference being that the counter-weight 25 is indicated as replaced in Fig. II by a leaf spring 40, which may have its efiect upon the armature 23 adjusted by screws M and 42. In this figure, the switch is 1 shown in its closed position, connecting the dynamo with its load, and the carbon piles l3 and it are in the extreme position of being opencircuited, to moreplainly bring out the operation of coils l6, H and I2.

In Fig. III, the carbon piles of Figs. I and II are indicated as replaced by vibratory contacts afiected by an armature all, supported ina suitable manner (not shown), drawn toward the left by the adjustable spring 68 and toward the right by magnetization of the core dt surrounded by the voltage winding I3 and series or current winding 45. The contacts may be shunted, of

' course, by condensers l9, resistances as shown at 86, or. both, if desired, as is usual practice with this well known general type ofdevice. In this figure, the wire is carried to the contact member 63, and from the companion member M to the endof'coil 6, which is grounded, in Figs. I and II, to indicate that the switch may be of either the single or double' break variety, as desired. The armature 23 carries'an insulated contact bridge 50, and the entire mechanism is shown in a position revolved 90 degrees from that of Figs. I and II, so that the armature 23, under gravity alone, would tend to take a vertical position between pole pieces 2| and 32. The member 3| is indicated as having an air gap or a-nonmagnetic insert between its end and member 22, which may be employed, if desired.

In Fig. IV, the circuit through wire 5 is opened and closed by a contactor comprising the usual contact members M, 52 and 53, operated by the coil 54, one end of which is shown as connected with wire 2, and the other end of which is connected with the wire'5 as through member 3|, armature 23 and contact screw 55, when the armature is drawn toward pole piece 2|. In this figure, the generator controlling coil is indicated as a voltage winding. l8 upon a core 56, one end of which, when the coil is energized, attracts the vibratory armature 51 to control the contact with screw 6|, connected with wire 9,. as by wire l9.

.. The member 51 may be pivoted as at 58 and have its operation adjusted by means of spring 59 and screw 60, in a well known manner. The opposite end of core 56 controls the vibratory contact mechanism 62', 63, 64, 35 and 66, in a manner obvious from the above, and thus controls the effective resistance in series with wire 20 and coils H and I2. The contact screw 6'! is so arranged that when armature 62 is sufliciently raised it will make contact therewith and connect the resistance 68 as a shunt around coil i2.

In Fig. V, the dynamo l is shown as having one brush connected through wire 2 with one end of a field winding 16, of generator 11 supplying the leads l8 and I9, and the opposite end of said coil 16 is connected with the remaining brush of enerator I, by means of wire 9, to indicate that the dynamo l of any of the figures may be used as an exciter instead of as a main generator, as is well understood in the art. In this figure, the coils in, u and I2 are indicated as a ecteii y vibratory contact device having an armature 41,

as in Fig. III, which is here shown'as in its extreme position" against a non-magnetic stop carried by core 46, in which position the contacts controlled by 41 are both broken. The core 5 46 is indicated as surrounded by a voltage coil 83 across the main dynamo H, which is controlled by regulating the exciter, in a well-known manner. The contact mechanism s9-1u-1| E213 is operated by attraction of core 46 to 10 control the efiective resistance in shunt to the resistor in series with coil I2.

In Fig. VI, the coil ii is as shown in the previous figures, while coils ill and 82 are indicated as replaced by resistors 83 and 84, respectively. 7 15 In Fig, VII, coils Ill and II are shown as in Figs. I to V, while coil l2 of these figures is replaced by a resistor 34.

An operation of my invention is substantially as follows, referring first to Fig. I

If the dynamo i be at rest, the lamps or translating devices 4 may be operated by the battery 3, in an obvious manner. If the upper brush of dynamo i be the negative, it will, of course, be connected with the negative side of the battery by wire 2, and the positive leg of the dynamo circuit will be broken at the contacts 262'l. A veryfeeble current will be shunted around the break through wire 5, coil 6, core 1, yoke 22, member 3| and coil 31, resistor 38, wire 9, iyna- 30 mo l and wire 2 tobattery 3. Coil 3! is of relatively high resistance on account of a large number of turns obtained by using fine wire and, therefore, its current consumption may be neglected in practice. This coil is here indicated as so wound as to tend to set up a magnetic flux in the direction of the arrow thereon, and also through the members 3!, 23, 22, l and 2!, in the directions indicated. By proper adjustment of air gaps between armature 23 and pole pieces 2| 0 and 32, as may be accomplished through adjustment of the position of pole piece 32 and screw 33, the above mentioned excitation of coil 3| may be caused to firmly hold the armature 23 in the position indicated and insure maintainance of the break at 25-21, in a well known manner, so long as current flows from the battery through the dynamo and coil 31, as above outlined.

Now, if the dynamo be started and its speed gradually increased, its residual magnetism will cause a slight current to flow from the positive brush through coil l2, pile l4, wire 20 and wire 2 to the negative brush. Current will also fiow from wires 9 and I9, pile I3 and coil III, to wire 2 and also from wire 9 through wire l9,. pile I3, coil II, pile l4 and wire 20 to wire 2. And, if these coils In, H and I2 are properly wound, they will all assist in building up the dynamo field and cause the dynamo to reach its normal voltage as soon as its so-called critical speed is reached. Assuming that the piles l3 and I 4 have negli- V gible resistance until affected by coil l8, which condition is usually sought and nearly obtained in practice, and the coils Ill, ll and I2 so wound as to tend to set up fluxes in the direction of'the arrows thereupon, it will be noted that the said coils are, in eiIect, all in multiple across the dynamo'terminals and all working together'to build up a strong field and permit the dynamo to reach the-battery voltage at as low speed as pos- 7o sible. As the dynamo voltage increases from zero, the current flowing back from the battery through the dynamo and coil 31 will, of course, diminish and equal zero when the dynamo and battery are at equal voltages, at which time coil ill 31 will cease tending to hold me armature 23; whereas, should the dynamo voltage exceed that of the battery, the current in this coil will reverse and tend to cause a flux in the reverse direction to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. I.

Further, as the dynamo voltage increases from zero, current in proportion thereto will flow through coils 34 and 35, which may be so wound as to tend to set up fluxes as indicated by the arrows thereupon in Fig. II. By properlydimensiomng the strength of these coils, which may be adjusted by means of resistors 36 and 39 (which may be in the form of adjustable resistors, if desired), and by properly adjusting the position of the armature 23 with respect to the pole pieces 2| and 32, I cause the armature 23 to be raised and close the contacts 262I, as shown in Fig. II, when the dynamo voltage and the battery .voltage are substantially equal or when either voltage is very slightly in excess of the other, as may be considered desirable. As the dynamo voltage rises above this point, current will be supplied by the dynamo in a well-known manner and, by flowing through coil 6, assist coil 34 in raising armature 23 against the action of spring 28 so as to reduce the airgap between 23 and 2| to the limit determined by nut 30, to cause a heavy pressure upon the contact and low resistance thereof. While the dynamo is active, current will flow through the coil I6, and this and its cooperating instrumentalities may be so arranged as to control the pressure upon thepiies l3-I4 in such manner as to prevent the dynamo voltage varying from a preselected value within very narrow limits throughout any tendency to vary, as upon speed changes, in a manner now well known in the art, provided the decrease in pressure upon the piles decreases the field excitation of the dynamo, and vice versa.

That this condition is fulfilled will be plain from Fig. II, wherein an extreme case is illustrated for sake of simplicity-and the piles l3-I4 indicated as having the pressure thereupon reduced to the point of opening the circuits therethrough. Here it will be noted that the coils III, II and I2 are now in series with each other across the dynamo and that, coil II has its eifect reversed so as to buck the other coils instead of boost, as when the dynamo wasoperating at low speed. It will be plain that, at a point between these limits, the current in coil II will have zero value and that the coils may be shifted from shunt to series relation with respect to each other without opening their circuits. Further, it will be seen that by properly proportioning the coils In, H and i2, the field may be weakened to any desired extent without reaching the unstable range of the carbon piles and that the field may even be reversed, if desired. As the dynamo speed falls from a high value, coil l8 will so control the field as to hold the voltage substantially constant until the speed sinks below the point where full field will accomplish this, and then the current delivered by the dynamo will fall to zero and the contact at 262'l may be caused to open at this point or upon very slight back discharge through coil 6, whereupon further fall in dynamo voltage will cause the current in coil 31 to set up the flux shown in Fig. I and hold the switch open.

The operation of the system as shownin Fig. III is substantially the same as above described with respect to Figs. I and II, save that a vibratory contact device instead of a carbon pile,is used to-control the field coils l0, II and i2, and this is shown as controlled by a voltage coil l8 and a series or current coil 45 which modifies the operation in a manner now well-known in the art, and which is shown merely to indicate that the field regulator may be responsive to voltage, to current, or to both, as desired. In this figure, the single break" contacts 26 and 21 are replaced by the double break" contacts 43-44-50, insulated from the armature so that the same does not carry any current while the inter-action oi the windings is modified by a non-magnetic member inserted between 22 and 3|. The effects of these changes are so well known that it is believed further description of the operation at this point would be superfluous. With the armature 23 having a normally vertical mid-position, as

shown in this figure, if it is released from one extreme position it will naturally tend to swing past the mid-position to very close to the opposite extreme, and; therefore, when released, may be drawn in one extreme or the other upon very slight differences in voltage above or below the instant voltage of the battery.

The operation of the arrangement in Fig. IV may be readily followed from the above, as it is only necessary to note that the core 56 oi winding I8 need not afiect the contacts 51-6I and 62-66 simultaneously but may afiect one alone to perform a certain degree of regulation; and if further regulation is then required the other will come into action as may be determined by adjustment of springs 59 and 64 by means of screws 60' and 65. If breaking the contacts 51-6! and 62-66 does not provide suificient range, it may be increased by using the contact device 61 and. shunt 66 around coil l2, for example. This contact when made will weaken coil I2, which assists coil i under these conditions; and if coils l0 and II (not opposed to each other) are properly dimensioned, the net result will be a weakening of the field to a desired degree. In this figure, the switch coils 34 and 35 are shown in series with each other across the dynamo circuit and, obviously, may be arranged to perform the same function as the coils in the above figures where they are in multiple. Moreover, the connection of the dynamo and battery is here performed by the contactor operated by the coil 54 which has its circuit controlled by the contact between 23 and 55; and the use of the switch mechanism as a relay instead of a main connecting device is believed to be such an obvious arrangement as to require no further explanation. However, it will be noted that coils 35 and 31 have their connections reversed with respect to coils 6 and 34, so that they tend to set up fluxes in a direction opposed to that shown in the previous figures. With this arrangement proper adjustment of the parts will cause the contact at 23-55 to be made and broken at subtsantially zero difference of potential across the contacts throughout changes in battery voltage incident to charging, as is desired.

In the arrangement of Fig. V, the coils Iii- |Il2 are shown as primarily controlled by the same type of vibratory contact device as illustrated in Fig. III, though the one shown in Fig. V has its range increased by the contact device 69-13, which controls the shunt around the resistor '15, which is thrown in series with the field coils when the contact 69-13 is broken. This device may be adjusted by screw 12 so as to come into action only after the limit of operation of the contact relay'operated by armature 4'! has been reached, if desired. While in this figure the load is assumed as carried by a main generator 11, the voltage or current of which is controlled by controlling the field lfl--li-l2 of dynamo i, it is believed that this: change is so well known as to require no further explanation,

In Fig. VI, the coils and 12 of the prior figures are shown as replaced by resistors. 83 and 84, which ordinarily have a relatively high value, so as to cut down the loss at full field when the piles l3-M have little resistance and the said resistors are, in effect, across the line. With this arrangement, increasing the resistance of the piles may gradually weaken the field to zero and even reverse the direction thereof, if necessary, in a manner plain fromthe above description of Figs. 1 and II.

In Fig. VII, coils 10 and 11 are shown as in the prior figures, while coil I2 is indicated as replacedby a resistance 86 which, of course, might replace coil ID instead, with the same result, if the parts bemroperly proportioned. With this arrangement, coils ill and I! maybe weakened, and then coil H may be reversed upon suitable increase in the resistance of piles iii-i6, in a manner that will be plain from the foregoing.

' in Figs, 1, II and III, these tend normally to set I From the foregoing it will be noted that many types of apparatus may be used in the employment of my inventionand that given types of devices with different connections and proportioning and adjustment of the parts may be used to employ the invention, even though the individual efiects of the parts may differ widely.

The various arrangements offield coils indi-' cated are believed to be sufiicient for illustration as it is plain that an indefinite number of relative values may be given to the parts shown to produce an indefinite number of precise net results, and that many changes in details of the regulatin gdevices may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

While I have-shown each of the devices employed for co'nnecing the dynamo and battery as provided with coils 35 and 31, it will be noted that,

up magnetic lines through the armature 23, in

' the same direction as the coil 34; and that in Fig. IV, thesecoils are reversed with respect to coil 34 (as indicated by the arrows on opposite sides of 23) to bring about substantially the same ultimate result; from which it will beplain that, in

the structure of Fig. I, for example,if the switch 81 be opened so as to eliminate the effect of coil 35, proper adjustment of resistances 38 and 39 tery to be connected and disconnected with 'suband the air gaps may cause-the dynamo and bats antially zero difierence of potential across the contact 2621, regardless of the direction of magnetomotive force of winding 31. 3 Therefore,

coil 35 may play an important part in the operation of connecting and disconnecting the dynamo and battery or be used as a mere adjusting coil for improving the accuracy and reliability of opening and closing, or even may be omitted, under certain circumstances.

easily be adjusted to operate very closely and,

while closed, coil 35 tends to oppose the shunting effect of member 3!, which, of course, may be controlled in the arrangement of Fig. IV, by properly proportioning the cross section of M so that it usually is practically saturated when the switch is closed.

I do not in any way limit myself to any of the exact constructions or details of operation here explained merely to point out embodiments of my invention, for it will be obvious that wide departure may be made in the way of apparatus and modes of operation without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention which is as set a coil upon one of said cores in shunt to the g'enerator, and a coil upon the other in shunt to the generator and another coil thereon in series with the generator and battery when they are disconnected by-the automatic means.

2. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a generator, a storage battery, a

switch for connecting said generator with said battery, and operating means to automatically close and open said switch so as to connect and disconnect said storage battery and said generator when their voltages are substantially equal 7 even though there are appreciable changes in the battery voltage due to changes in the condition of charge of said battery, said operating means including a movable magnetic member, a sub--' stantially C-shaped frame of -magnetic material comprising a yoke piece in close magnetic relation to one end of said member and a pair of cores on opposite sides of said member with poles near the other end of said member for attracting said member to close and open said switch, a first voltage coil upon one of said cores, a second voltage coil upon the other of said cores, said voltage coils being connected in parallel across said generator, and a third voltage coil upon said other of said cores in shunt with said switch soas to be in series with said generator and said battery when said switch is open and soas to be sub stantially deenergized when said switch is closed.

JOHN L. CREVELING. 

